


Flirting with the Spy

by Scribbling Mama (melgibson87)



Series: AU August 2018 [10]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: AU August, AU Yeah AUgust (Miraculous Ladybug), Angst will come eventually, CEO Max, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Receptionist Rose, Secret Agent, Spying, Undercover Juleka, secret agent AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-06-26 10:43:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15661608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melgibson87/pseuds/Scribbling%20Mama
Summary: Juleka is going undercover to find out what's going on at Kante's Engineering Corp. Strange reports have been coming from the company and she's determined to find out what's going on. She doesn't count on meeting Rose and definitely doesn't count on falling for the cute receptionist. She doesn't need the distraction, but will she be able to resist when all is said and done? What happens when Rose learns she's not who she says she is? Will she lose Rose?





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This story's prompt pairing was requested by a Tumblr follower. Day 10 of AU Yeah August. Secret Agent AU.

 

"Excuse me, miss, but is your boss in?" 

Rose glanced up and stared at the young woman dressed smartly in front of her. She offered the dark-haired woman with a purple streak a warm smile. She felt an instant attraction to the shy woman as she nodded. "Yeah, let me inform him you're here. Is he expecting you?"

The woman nodded. "I'm Juleka, the new hire."

"Oh, we've been expecting you." Rose punched the private line for her boss, whispering into the phone when he answered. Her gaze remained on Juleka as the woman roamed the exterior office that Rose had claimed a while back. Putting the phone down, she informed Juleka of her boss's intentions.

She tried to return to her duties, but Juleka's presence was making it a little difficult. Every time, she thought the other woman was watching her, Rose would glance up and find Juleka's attention on something across the room.

After a minute passed, Rose piped up, asking, "Can I get you something to drink while you wait? He shouldn't be much longer."

"I'm fine but thank you. You're sweet." 

Juleka's hair covered her eyes and most of her face, which Rose found quite disconcerting. She wanted to know what the woman was thinking, but that involved seeing her face. Not to be outwitted by a few well-placed strands of hair, Rose stood from her seat and approached Juleka's position near the boss's wall of achievements. 

"So, what brought you to Kante's Engineering Corp in the first place?"

Juleka faced Rose with some surprise. A smile bloomed a few seconds later as she continued to regard the receptionist. "Are you curious or is this part of the interview?"

"Curious, I think." Rose's finger tapped her cheek, her head tilting to better assess the woman beside her. 

She couldn't help but notice the clothing Juleka wore was a complete contrast to her own. Where Rose wore pretty pinks and colors that made others notice her jovial spirit, Juleka's clothing had a sense of keeping the woman hidden from the world, allowing people's eyes to pass over her unnoticed. The thought saddened Rose as she sensed there was more to this woman than what one's eyes could see. 

She wanted to know more. She knew that like she knew her last name and her birthdate.

She wanted to know that information about Juleka. Heck, she wanted to know whatever the other woman wanted to tell her. She'd take anything as they continued to stand near one another, waiting for her boss to appear.

She opened her mouth to ask another question when the door behind her opened, her boss standing in the doorway.

"Juleka Couffaine?" His voice almost irksome to Rose's mission as Juleka turned to nod, her back to Rose. "Come in. Let's see if you'd be a good fit for our current opening."

"Yes, sir," Juleka said, taking a step toward the short man. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Rose's gaze as she mumbled, "I'm sure you'll find I'm more than a good fit."

The smile she sent Rose had the receptionist almost blushing the very pink she loved so much.

Unable to get that smile out of her mind, Rose soon found her workload building as the phone rang with requests from various departments, requests for memos to be sent out, and more. She fought the image of that smile as she settled in, determined to get some work out of the way.

There wasn't any guarantee Juleka would get the job. Mr. Kante could be quite demanding in his candidates meeting each of his requirements. That would definitely apply to Juleka as well for that lucrative position that had recently been vacated by Mr. Kante's long-time partner and associate. 

All thoughts of work disappeared as the door of her boss's office opened, Juleka stepping out. Her back remained facing Rose for a few moments before the woman turned with a soft smile and a whispered, "Well, Rose, I'll be seeing you around more often."

"You got the job? Oh, that's wonderful." Rose realized belatedly how much she'd started gushing excitement for a woman she'd just met. Trying to stem back that enthusiasm, she returned Juleka's smile as she added, "Welcome to Kante, Juleka. I'm sure you'll do well here."


	2. Copier Run-In

 

Rose didn't know what to expect the following week as she heard the whispers of the employees at Juleka's presence. Sure, the woman was unconventional by most people's standards, but that proved most appealing to Rose as she caught Juleka bent over the copier one day, the woman's hands covered in ink. 

"Something wrong?" Rose asked as she entered the room with a few files she been asked to copy for a meeting later that day. 

"It's clogged or something," Juleka replied, frustration lacing her soft voice as she glared at the expensive piece of equipment. "It ate all my copies before spewing ink at me."

Suppressing her desire to giggle, Rose moved closer, making sure to keep her distance from the inky mess that was Juleka. She set down her files on the nearby counter, happy to lighten her load as she bent to glance at the back of the machine, noting the major jam that was indeed the other woman's copies. The ink pouring from the cartridge caused some concern as it leaked onto the carpeting and threatened an impossible stain.

"You're laughing at me," Juleka accused. 

"Not at all," Rose retorted, her smile still in place as she glanced at the exasperated woman. "I just happen to know this beauty is temperamental when it comes to newbies."

"You act as if it's real. It's just a machine, one that's obviously a bit defective." The glare came back as the dark-clothed woman continued to fight the muck on her hands. 

Taking pity on her, Rose led the woman to the nearby sink and pulled down a special soap to remove the ink. It smelled of flowers, most notably roses, which was the greatest selling point for the receptionist as she spoke with the saleslady a couple years back. Sure, she'd been looking for a tough soap to tackle stains like ink, but she also felt it should smell nice, too. She hated the lack of options in most industrial soaps, but this one had won her over as it tackled stains without effort yet didn't leave her reaching for more products to hide an astringent odor that outlasted or overpowered other scents. 

"Give me your hands," Rose commanded.

"What are you going to do to me?" Juleka asked, suspicion clear in her voice as she eyed the bottle warily.

"Just give me your hands." Rose grabbed the other woman's arm and tugged her toward the sink. As she turned on the water, she noted the stains on the edges of Juleka's sleeves. "I have some laundry soap that'll tackle those if you'd like to borrow some."

"Will it smell like you?" 

Rose's eyes widened and a blush darkened her cheeks. Needing a chance to regain her dignity, she floundered for anything to say that could bring back her usual level of calmness. "You don't like flowers?"

She bit back a groan as the words slipped past her lips, wishing she could recall them.

A soft chuckle brought her gaze back to Juleka as the other woman finally spoke. "I didn't say that. I'm finding myself quite drawn to roses of late. I can't imagine why."

"Oh."

 _So much for softening her blush and regaining her equilibrium_ , Rose thought as her body warmed at the sweet words. 

Determined not to let Juleka see her too vulnerable, she happened to glance back at the jammed copier and asked, "What were you needing copied anyway?"

"Just a document or two. I had some research I wanted to share with a few people." The quiet woman looked away as she spoke, almost as if she wanted to hide from Rose at that moment.

Rose couldn't fathom why, shaking the thought away and offering a smile. "I'll be happy to get this cleaned up and bring you the copies when I'm done. How many did you need?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." The words rushed past Juleka's lips as her hands strained a bit under Rose's grip. "I just realized I can easily email them, too. I'll do that instead."

"Are you sure? It's kinda my job to help where I can," Rose offered, loosening her hold on Juleka's hands. She hadn't realized she'd been washing the woman's hands and hadn't let go as they finished. 

"Yeah, I'm sure." Juleka grabbed up the papers from the copier's scanner and hurried from the room. She managed to toss a smile as she went, lessening her quick escape from Rose's presence. 

"You're a strange one, Juleka Couffaine," Rose muttered as she turned back to the copier, intent on fixing it and returning to her duties at her desk. "But I'm finding I like that about you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 6/10/19: This story will be completed and is on my list to finish. Right now, I'm working on a schedule to make this happen for all my WIPs. I will update everyone in the near future the progress being made for this story and other WIPs here on AO3.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](http://scribblingmama.tumblr.com)


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